Eulogy for the people's governor

by Carmen Balber

Very interesting article in the LA Times today: The governor is calling himself a flip-flopper. But he thinks it's a good thing. He has a point, to some extent. A humble governor who can recognize a mistake and learn from it could be an asset in stagnant Sacramento.

Unfortunately for the people who elected Arnold the outsider as a different kind of governor, the changes in his political outlook have moved him closer to, not taken him away from, the political status quo:

Once a loud proponent of term limits, the governor endorsed Proposition 93 this week. The measure on the February 5 ballot would extend the terms of office of current legislative leaders and much of the rest of the legislature. These are the same guys Arnold used to revel in calling "girlie men." Now he can't bear to part with them.

The man who called for sunshine in the Capitol -- and claimed he would not sign a bill that didn't have a full, public hearing in both houses of the legislature -- quickly became the king of back room deals.